The present disclosure relates generally to graphics processing and, more specifically, to management and utilization of multiple graphics processors.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Electronic devices, including computers and portable devices such as phones and media players, typically include display screens to display user interfaces, applications, video playback, video games, etc. A display of an electronic device may be driven by a specialized processor, referred to as a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Applications or other software may interface with the GPU via Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), programming libraries, and frameworks that may communicate with a graphics driver for the GPU.
Some electronic devices may include multiple GPUs, such as a dual GPU device, in which one or the other GPU is used to drive the display. However, in such devices, a user may have to power cycle the device, or log in and out of the device, to switch GPU resources for applications from one GPU to the other GPU. This action may be disruptive for the user and may discourage use of the GPU resource switching capability. Solutions for GPU resource switching for individual applications typically require modification of each individual application and do not provide GPU resource switching for other software.